skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Bill Extends Food Aid to All Oregonians Regardless of Immigration Status

play audio
Play

Monday, January 23, 2023   

A big gap exists in who can receive food assistance in Oregon, and some lawmakers want to bridge the divide this session.

Federal law excludes people who are undocumented from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the country's largest food assistance program. The Food for All Oregonians bill would extend food aid to lawful permanent residents, U.S. Compacts of Free Association citizens and other Oregonians who arrived as immigrants or refugees.

Aldo Solano Mendez, strategic partners manager for the Oregon Food Bank, and co-manager of the Food for All Oregonians campaign, explained the group's goal.

"Oregon should be able to offer food assistance to all Oregonians regardless of where they were born. Currently, about 62,000 Oregonians are excluded from vital food assistance programs like SNAP simply because of immigration status or where they were born," Mendez contended.

More than 75 organizations across Oregon have endorsed the legislation. Mendez pointed out immigrant community members and Oregonians of color are more likely to experience food insecurity. According to data from 2020, they were two to three times more likely to be food insecure than white Oregonians.

Petrona Dominguez, leadership and advocacy program coordinator for Adelante Mujeres, an organization working with Latinas, said the group hosted listening sessions with community members affected by food insecurity, which resulted in the bill.

"We asked a selection of questions and the people told us their experiences and what it meant to be accessing food, what their experiences have been and also how they might envision something that's pertainable to them," Dominguez explained.

Fatima Jawaid Marty, Food for All Oregonians campaign manager at the Partnership for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said ensuring people can access food assistance is also an essential part of the legislation.

"How are we making sure that our immigrant, refugee and COFA community members are outreached to, that are able to get information in the languages that they need?" Marty asked. "And a huge part of this is having a community navigation program."

The bill has 17 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. Lawmakers will hold a public hearing for the legislation, but it has not yet been scheduled.

Disclosure: Oregon Food Bank contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Community Issues and Volunteering, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021